A memory system may include a memory controller and a memory circuit. The memory controller is a circuit that manages the flow of data transmitted to and from the memory circuit. The memory controller circuit and the memory circuit are in different integrated circuits. A memory controller can be a stand-alone integrated circuit or part of another integrated circuit.
In a typical memory system, the memory controller circuit stores data in the memory circuit during write operations. The memory controller circuit accesses data stored in the memory circuit during read operations. In a source synchronous system, a timing signal is transmitted between the memory controller circuit and the memory circuit along with the data during both read and write operations.